


Long Hot Summer

by swanqueenfic13



Series: Little Luthor [24]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Just really cute, Pre-teen drama, Preschool Graduation, Summer, Summer Camp, Summer Vacation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Zoo, polo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-05-20 03:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14887116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: A series of one-shots that take place over the course of the summer. See the Danvers-Luthor family go to preschool graduation, go to the zoo, go on vacations, watch the fireworks, and prepare for the upcoming wedding.





	1. Preschool Graduation

## 

“Hurry up, Jamie! We’re gonna be late!” Maggie shouted up the stairs as she fastened her belt, tucking her denim shirt into her black slacks. Alex was in the kitchen making them a quick breakfast to take on the go, already dressed in her black skinny jeans and green and black striped button-up shirt.

“I don’t understand why we’re rushing so much,” Jamie grumbled as she ran down the stairs. “It’s just a preschool graduation ceremony.”

“Because she’s your cousin, and this may not seem like that big a deal, but it kind of is for parents. Their kid is starting school and growing up and things just seem to go so fast,” Alex said, reaching over and ruffling Jamie’s hair teasingly.

“Plus, Kara came to yours,” Maggie added. “Even though your mom and I had only been dating for a few months at that point.

“Eight months is not ‘a few’,” Alex retorted.

“Regardless, we’re going. It’s important to Lena, to Kara, and to Lydia. What’s got you in such a mood this afternoon?” Maggie asked.

“Nothing,” Jamie huffed.

“Alright. If you ever wanna tell us what’s bugging you, we’re here to listen,” Maggie sighed. “Brush your hair before we go.”

 

“Lyd, let’s go! I still need to do your hair,” Lena shouted. She wore a sleek dress with a simple black bottom and a black and white textured top with a few gold buttons down the side. She pulled her hair back in a high ponytail and lined her lips with red lipstick. Lydia came running down the stairs in a red and white polka-dotted dress with white tights. Kara followed after, holding Lydia’s sparkly silver shoes.

“But Mommy, I gotta wear my graduation hat,” Lydia reminded her. All of the preschoolers would be given blue caps and gowns when they arrived at the school for the ceremony. Kara said that Susan bought cheap gowns made out of a plastic-type material, like something used for a cheap, disposable tablecloth and the caps were basically just cardboard.

“I know, love bug. I just want to brush it and put it in two braids so it isn’t in your face all day. Is that alright with you or do you want something different with your hair?” Lena asked as Lydia sat down in front of her, allowing Lena to gently start running the brush through her hair.

“That’s okay, Mommy,” she hummed. Kara smiled, taking pictures on her phone to be put in a scrapbook.

 

“Smile!” Alex sang. Lena, Kara, and Lydia beamed at the phone camera as Alex snapped picture after picture. “Okay, now a funny one!” As they all struck silly poses, Alex continued snapping—per Kara’s instructions to get as many candids as possible in addition to posed photos.

“Attention!” Susan called. “Family and friends, it’s time to say your goodbyes to your preschoolers and head to your seats. Next time you see them, they’ll be preschool graduates, ready for kindergarten.” She smiled warmly at the kids. 

“You ready, munchkin?” Alex asked, kneeling to be on Lydia’s level. Lydia nodded, bouncing and beaming. “Good. Wave when you see us in the audience, okay?”

“I will, Auntie!” Lydia giggled, hugging Alex.

“Love you, corazoncita,” Maggie whispered, kissing Lydia’s forehead. 

“Uh, congrats, I think?” Jamie said, glancing at her moms in uncertainty. When they nodded sharply, Jamie repeated herself, “congrats, kid.” The Danvers-Sawyer girls went out to protect their seats while Lena and Kara got down on their knees to hug Lydia tight.

“You listen to the teachers, and remember what you practiced, okay?” Kara said softly. 

“And have lots of fun, okay? This is just a big celebration because you guys did so well and learned so much in preschool, remember?” Lena added.

“I know, Mommy,” Lydia whispered. “Mommy, Mama, you gotta go sit down! Miss Susan said so,” Lydia added sternly. “You’re gonna get in trouble.

“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” Kara said, as serious as could be. Lena stifled a giggle behind her hand. “You’ll do great, kiddo. Love you.”

“Love you, Mama.”

“I love you, sweetheart. Have fun!” Lena said. As they finished bidding their goodbyes, Lena and Kara joined the others in their seats. They managed to get seats where Kara and Lydia were sitting next to the aisle, poised and ready to get good pictures throughout the celebration. Disney music was playing over speakers as people waited for the kids to be ready to come out on stage. 

After a little while, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and Susan stepped on the small stage to address the audience. There was no space in the farmhouse that housed Sunny Start, so Susan brought them to the auditorium in the dance studio across the street. There were colorful decorations all over the stage: cardboard apples, school buses, shooting stars and smiling suns decorated with streamers. Once she was settled behind the podium, Susan spoke.

“Good afternoon! And welcome to all the family and friends here today. Most importantly, welcome to our preschool graduates! I’m proud of how hard your children worked this year, and I know that they are ready for kindergarten next fall. Now, without further ado, I want to introduce the Sunny Start Preschool class of 2018!” Susan gestured to the back door of the auditorium and a spotlight shone on it. The speakers blared to life, playing Pomp and Circumstance as the kids entered.

The preschoolers stood in two lines so that they entered in pairs, holding hands and waving as they walked in. Every kid had a blue gown and a cap, clearly cheaply made, but cute nonetheless. Parents ‘awww’ed at their kids and started taking pictures and the room was lit up with camera flashes. Kara was the first to spot Lydia halfway down the line, holding hands with Benny, a little red-haired boy in her class. When Lydia saw her family waving and clapping and taking pictures, she giggled and hopped excitedly as she waved at them. Kara’s coworkers smiled and ushered the excited kids down the aisle and onto the stage where they formed a semicircle facing the audience.

“Hello everyone,” Jenny said, taking the microphone from Susan. “My name is Jenny Topor, and I am the music teacher here at Sunny Start. I’d like to welcome you all and thank you for coming today. Your kids have been working very hard on this special surprise for you all. May I present… the graduating class of 2018 singing their preschool graduation song!” 

The speakers started to play the intro music and Jenny stood to face the preschoolers to guide them. They sang to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” as parents and family started taking videos. Together, they sang, “I’ve been going to my preschool all the whole year long. I’ve been going to my preschool and I’ve learned a lot of songs! I can count and say my letters and all my colors, too. I’ve been going to my preschool all the whole year long.”

Of course, they were off key and singing at ten different tempos. Some kids were yelling the words in their excitement, waving at their parents. Other kids just seemed to stand there nervously. Lydia was of the third type: kids who were singing earnestly and dancing in place, swaying back and forth and swinging their bodies. Maggie was taking a video, thankfully, because Kara and Lena were both too busy crying and watching their daughter to be thinking about commemorating the event.

Neither woman really stopped crying until after the ceremony.

 

“Mommy! Mama! I can go to kindergarten now!” Lydia squealed. After the preschool song, the kids were sat down and Susan and Emily—another teacher at Sunny Start—gave short speeches about the accomplishments of the class in regards to their progress, their social and emotional skills, and their attitudes. It quickly became clear that the kids were getting squirmy in their chairs, so Susan cut her remarks short, joking that the kids heard enough of her over the year. They were each called up to walk across the stage and shake Susan’s hand before posing with her and their diploma. Parents crowded the stage to take their own photos, but Susan also had a photographer working the event to get professional pictures. After another quick word from Susan, the preschoolers—now kindergartners—processed out before being reunited with their families.

“I’m so proud of you, little love,” Kara said, wrapping Lydia in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground and swinging her gently as she hugged her and kissed her hair.

“Did you hear me sing? Did you?” Lydia shouted. As soon as Kara put her back on the ground, Lena squatted down to hug her, balancing precariously on her heels.

“You did so well, Lydia,” Lena assured her. 

“Amazing,” Maggie agreed.

“Like a little rock star,” Alex added. Lydia giggled bashfully, bouncing over to hug her aunts.

“Did you like it, Jamie?” Lydia asked hopefully, looking up at her beloved cousin with wide, green eyes. Jamie, who had been staring at her phone, looked up and smiled at Lydia before tugging gently on one of her braids.

“‘Course I did, kid. You did great.” Lydia beamed and giggled, spinning around excitedly. It took a few minutes to corral Lydia to pose for pictures, but she complied with the promise of dessert at the restaurant and after a while, they were off to an early dinner to celebrate.

 

“Mommy, I can’t wait for kindergarten,” Lydia murmured sleepily. After dinner at a local buffet—one of the best ways to satiate Kara’s Kryptonian appetite—they had ice cream from the parlor where Kara, Lena, and Lydia had gone together when they first met. It was a small, locally owned shop with a long row of display cases with the various tubs of ice cream and a large chalkboard mounted on the wall above the cabinet. They’d sat in one of the booths as they ate their sundaes, laughed and joked, and enjoyed their evening together celebrating Lydia’s graduation ceremony. When they were finished and Lydia’s face and hands were sticky with ice cream, Alex and Maggie settled the bill. Lena and Kara had argued, determined to pay for the treat, but Alex and Maggie insisted. As soon as they were home for the night, they got Lydia into the bathtub. The warm water, the calming effect of her bubble bath, and the gentle way Lena and Kara cleaned her up soon had her eyes drooping as she let out little yawns. They quickly got her into pajamas and combed her hair as the excitement of the day caught up with the little girl.

“I know, munchkin. But we’ve got the whole summer first. And we’re going to have so much fun! You’ll go to summer camp, and we’ll go on vacation somewhere maybe, and we’ll go to the beach and the zoo and the aquarium!” Kara said softly, stroking Lydia’s hair.

“I like the ‘quarium, Mama. Remember my sharky friend?” Kara chuckled, remembering one of the first outings they’d gone on all together, although a work emergency had pulled Lena away for a while. Kara had taken Lydia through the museum for a while before Lena joined them. Lydia had made friends with a mini shark whom she’d named Jax.

“I do,” Kara nodded.

“Don’t fall asleep yet, missy. You still have to brush those teeth,” Lena reminded her. Lydia groaned tiredly.

“If you don’t brush your teeth, the germs will make them fall out,” Kara warned.

“Nuh-uh,” Lydia said, scrunching her nose.

“You know the pirates in the movies?” Kara asked. Lydia nodded. “Do they have all of their teeth?” Lydia shook her head warily. “That’s because they didn’t brush their teeth.”

“No way!” Lydia gasped. Lena and Kara nodded sagely. When Lydia jumped to her feet and ran into the bathroom, Lena and Kara grinned at each other and high-fived lightly. Lena went to check on Lydia and make sure she brushed her teeth properly. Within a few minutes, they had returned and Lydia climbed under the covers, waiting for her moms to tuck her in and read her a story. After reading a Berenstein Bears story, Lena leaned in to kiss Lydia goodnight.

“Night, my sweet girl, my preschool graduate, my big girl,” she cooed, kissing Kara’s cheeks and forehead.

“Nigh’ Mommy,” she slurred, tucking Chewy under her armpit. Her stuffed moon toy was at the foot of her bed, so Kara brought it up next to her head. Lydia immediately grabbed the moon, tucking it next to Chewy.

“Goodnight, love bug,” Kara whispered, kissing Lydia’s nose and the crown of her head.

“Na-nigh’ Mama.” With that, Lydia rolled over and fell asleep, snoring lightly. Kara and Lena smiled, quietly making their way out of their daughter’s bedroom and back to the living room, content to hold each other and watch TV for a few hours before retiring to bed.


	2. Lions and Tigers and Bears? Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Luthor-Danvers and Danvers-Sawyer crew head to the zoo (with a special appearance by Jamie's... friend... Alison)

“We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! How about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too! We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo,” Lydia sang along excitedly. After arranging a date with Maggie and Alex, they were all set to meet at the National City Park Zoo. Lydia had been excited since the moment she found out and couldn’t wait to see all of the animals up close! That morning, Lydia had woken them up by jumping on their bed, singing about going to the zoo. After calming her down enough to sit and have breakfast, get dressed, and color to kill some time while Lena and Kara got themselves ready, they were finally in the car and on their way to the zoo. 

“This is going to be stuck in my head for weeks,” Lena whispered to Kara, eyes locked on the road. Kara, who was in charge of the Bluetooth, just smiled innocently at her.

“But she’s so cute and so happy! How can we deny that?” Kara replied. Lena glanced in the rearview mirror and her expression did soften when she saw Lydia. Dressed in a baby blue cotton romper with little pink flamingos on it, hair pulled back in two braids, Lydia was dancing around in her car seat and singing along to the Raffi song with a big smile on her face.

“I suppose I’ll just have to deal with the earworm,” Lena hummed, shooting Kara a look when her fiancée just snickered. Thankfully for Lena, the song ended and switched to some Disney song which Lydia promptly sang along to. Unfortunately, Kara also made sure to add “Goin’ to the Zoo” to the Spotify queue three more times during the hour-long ride to the zoo.

 

“Let’s go, Mommy! The animals!” Lydia said desperately, tugging on Lena’s arm as they walked. Lena was dressed in white denim shorts and a blue and black tank top with a large sun hat, big, round sunglasses, and strappy sandals. Kara, dressed in a safari green romper with short sleeves and converse, trailed behind Lena and Lydia, pretending to struggle under the large backpack with all of their necessities including snacks, water, sunscreen, bug spray, jackets for if they got cold, extra clothes, and other bits and bobs they might need.

“Lydia, slow down, sweetheart. We have to find your cousin and your aunties,” Lena reminded her, resisting Lydia’s pull. Lydia pouted but continued trying to hurry her moms along. “Kara, do you have my wallet?” she called over her shoulder.

“Yeah!” Kara responded, pulling the wallet from her pocket, jogging up to hand it to Lena. Lena took the wallet from Kara and stepped up with Lydia to the ticket window to purchase their tickets. While Lena and Lydia chatted with the ticket seller, Kara texted Alex to find out where they were and joined the line to get the bag searched before they could enter the zoo. Lena joined her, wrapping one arm around Kara’s waist and kissing her cheek while Lydia bounced up and down in place, squealing excitedly.

“Hey, Lyd, guess what?” Kara said, smiling as Lydia turned around and beamed at her. “Your aunties and your cousin are already inside, and they’re waiting for us on the other side of the entrance!”

“Mama, we gotta hurry! I wanna see the lions and the tigers and the bears and the monkeys and the-”

“Lions, and tigers, and bears? Oh, my!” Kara gasped, laughing when Lydia just pouted at her, once again tugging at her Mama’s arm.

“It’s not your Mama’s fault, kiddo, it’s mine,” the security guard said as she pulled the backpack towards her, grinning apologetically down at the little girl. Lydia just frowned up at the woman.

“I just wanna see the animals,” Lydia told the woman, careful not to whine.

“Well, I just need to look in this bag really fast, then I… am… done! Enjoy the zoo, little one.” Lydia squealed her thanks to the guard before grabbing both of her moms by the wrist and pulling as hard as her little four-year-old body could. Once they had cleared the security and ticket pavilion, they found themselves in a circular courtyard. A fountain in the center displayed various aqueous animals spitting water into the pool and there were several benches positioned around the fountain. The gift shop was opposite the exit, and there were signs pointing every which way to the different animal exhibits, the lost and found, the lost child checkpoint, the lockers for rent, the stroller rental, and a booth to buy snacks and drinks. After a moment of staring in open-mouthed awe, Lydia released her moms’ hands and bolted.

“Lydia!” Lena yelped, tearing off after her. She only relaxed marginally when she saw Lydia run into Alex’s arms a few feet away. Kara, only half a step behind to keep up appearances as a normal human, dropped the bag as soon as they reached the bench where Maggie and Alex had been sitting. “Lydia Jacqueline Luthor, you do  _ not _ scare us like that. What do we always say about running off?” Lena scolded, still breathing heavy from that split second panic.

“But Auntie Alex was right here!” Lydia protested.

“Lyd, your Mom’s right. Even if you see another adult you trust, you still need to tell them before you try to go anywhere,” Alex said firmly, kneeling down to look at Lydia. “It’s very scary for parents when their kids run off out of sight. We don’t know if you got lost or hurt, or if a bad person came to take you. It’s very, very scary when kids run off like that,” Alex explained, considerably calmer than the two panicking moms stood in front of her.

“Sorry for scaring you, Mama, Mommy,” Lydia whispered apologetically, running over to hug both of them around their waists.

“Just don’t run off like that without asking first, please,” Lena said softly, pressing a kiss to Lydia’s head. Lydia nodded resolutely. It was then that Lydia realized her Tia and her cousin were here, too! She looked to Mommy for permission, waiting for her to nod before running the few extra feet to greet Maggie, Jamie, and Jamie’s friend whose name she couldn’t remember.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep, I just-” Alex started. Lena cut her off.

“It’s fine, thank you. I think I was a little too… I was still just trying to breathe normally. I can’t guarantee I would have been able to have a rational discussion like that,” Lena admitted.

“I can’t even get heart attacks, but I’m pretty sure that’s what one would have felt like,” Kara added. Alex just smirked and shook her head. “So, Jamie and Alison, huh? I take it you guys agreed to let Jamie start dating?” Kara asked, jerking her chin to where Jamie and Alison and Lydia were all sitting on a bench looking at a map. Alex pulled a face, widening her eyes momentarily as her lips tugged to the side and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well… We didn’t really wanna crush her spirit. And besides, middle school romances are never really much of anything. So, we told her she can date conditionally. Dates have to be chaperoned by an adult that we know and have approved to chaperone them. We want to meet the person she dates. And she has to use her good judgment in terms of texting and Snapchatting and whatever. Plus, we agreed to reevaluate these rules before she goes into high school,” Alex explained.

“I’m sure she’ll be smart about the things she sends,” Kara nods. “You guys raised a good kid. Plus, the only relationships I remember from middle school were basically just kids holding hands at lunch, blushing whenever they looked at each other, and  _ maybe _ texting or calling each other outside of school.”

“I thought you said you didn’t date until college,” Lena asked, tilting her head curiously.

“She didn’t,” Alex answered, smirking at a blushing Kara. “In middle school, she was still just trying to understand the concept of  _ birds _ .” Lena chuckled and Kara let out an indignant squawk.

“We didn’t have them on my planet!” Kara protested. Thankfully for Kara, Lydia interrupted them before the teasing could go any further.

“Mommy, Mama, let’s go! Me and Jamie and Alison figured out which way we’re gonna go!” Lydia tugged on the two women until they started moving again, slowly, but it was better than standing still.

“Think we should get a stroller? Just in case?” Lena asked curiously as they passed the stroller rental station. 

“No,” Lydia whine, overhearing the conversation. Her cheeks were pink and she was shooting furtive glances towards Jamie and Alison, walking a few paces ahead as their hands awkwardly bumped against each other. “I’m not a baby! I don’t need a stroller.”

“You sure, little one? I don’t want you to start whining if your feet hurt later,” Kara warned her.

“Don’t need it,” Lydia repeated.

“Okay,” Lena hummed, though she took note of the prices for strollers just in case they ended up needing it later.

 

“Look, Mama! The tiger is stretching!” Lydia giggled, enraptured by the sight of the lithe feline moving from its perch on the tree down to the grass. The zoo was structured in a wide circular path, sectioned off by habitat type. They had already passed through the building encompassing the polar habitats and were halfway through the rainforest habitat where this tiger made its home. 

“So cool, Lyd. What do you know about tigers?” Kara prompted, resting a hand on Lydia’s shoulder as she stood next to her to observe the tiger. Lydia, enraptured by the tigers, didn’t answer. As they watched, another tiger appeared from behind a rock, stalking the first tiger for a moment before pouncing. The two tigers wrestled for a few minutes before one rolled into the river, letting out a low growl as it sank into the water, likely cooling itself down in the water.

“I thought kitties don’t like water,” Lydia said, wrinkling her nose in confusion as she looked up for her Mama or Mommy to explain this to her.

“Most cats don’t, but tigers do,” Alison supplied before either woman could answer. The tips of Alison’s ears reddened as the group turned to look at her curiously. “I really like cats, so in elementary school, I made it my mission to learn about all the different kinds of cats, big and small,” she explained awkwardly, shrugging.

“Cool!” Lydia smiled.

“Hey, Ma, look down there! In that cave down there, there’s a big glass wall where we can see the tigers closer. Can we go find it?” Jamie asked. Maggie glanced around quickly before nodding in a direction and the group made their way down the path and into the man-made cavern. It was dark and cool in the room and one wall was entirely see-through, some sort of window wall into the tiger exhibit. Immediately, the three children ran over to the wall, pressing their hands up against the glass in their clamor to see the tigers up close. The closest tiger was about twenty feet away, rolling around in the shallowest part of the water.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Lydia cooed.

“I don’t think that’ll work, kid,” Maggie chuckled. Lydia just stuck out her tongue at Maggie before continuing to call to the tiger.

“What other tiger facts do you know, Alison?” Alex asked.

“Uh… p-plenty,” Alison stammered nervously. “Like, did you know that a tiger’s tail is about three feet long and it helps them keep their balance when making tight turns? Or that their back legs are so strong that they can leap forward up to thirty feet in one jump? And tigers are solitary creatures, but a group of tigers is called a ‘streak’,” Alison continued.

“Look! He’s coming!” Lydia squealed, interrupting Alison’s recitations of fact. As they looked up, they saw the handsome tiger lumbering out of the water and towards the glass wall. Lydia bounced on her toes, watching in amazement as the tiger grew closer. Lena, Kara, Maggie, and Alex pressed closer protectively. 

“Whoa,” Maggie marveled. The tiger was tall with broad shoulders. It was about as tall as Lydia, blinking slowly at them with round, blue eyes. The tiger peered at them curiously, gently pawing at the glass dividing them.

“Hi, Mr. Tiger! I’m gonna name you Sebastian, okay? Hi, Sebastian!” Lydia giggled, putting her hand up against where the tiger was pawing. The tiger continued pawing at the board for another moment before bumping its nose against the glass.

“She’s like an animal whisperer, I swear. Everywhere we go…” Lena trailed off, laughing.

“The next Bindi Irwin,” Alex nodded, watching as the tiger started rubbing his neck against the glass where Lydia was standing with her whole body pressed against the glass, giggling and happily tapping her hands on the glass to match up with the tiger. Maggie just smiled and took a video on her phone.

 

“Mama, carry me,” Lydia whined. They were on their way to the Rainforest Cafe where they were going to have lunch. Clearly, the heat of the day and all the walking was getting to Lydia despite Kara and Lena’s best attempts to keep her hydrated to prevent crankiness.

“I can’t, sweetheart. I’m carrying the backpack,” Kara said apologetically. In truth, she certainly could carry Lydia along with the backpack—she could carry their entire group and not break a sweat, actually. Kara hated that she had to keep up appearances like this.

“I could carry her,” Alison offered. “If that’s alright,” she added nervously, glancing over at Kara and Lena.

“Just be careful,” Lena said. Alison nodded before squatting down far enough so that Lydia could climb up onto her back, winding her arms around Alison’s neck and resting her chin on Alison’s shoulder as her legs wound around Alison’s waist. Alison gripped Lydia’s thighs tightly and the group continued walking.

 

It was past five by the time they finally left the zoo, tired and sweaty and smelling of sunscreen and sweat, but satisfied with their trip to the zoo. Lydia was snoring before they even left the parking lot, head resting against the side of her car seat with her new stuffed tiger tucked up against her chin. Kara saw the beginnings of a sunburn on Lydia’s nose and cheeks as she glanced back in the rearview mirror to check on her.

“Poor little thing. She’s all tuckered out,” Kara cooed before focusing once again on navigating the parking lot. Lena, in the passenger seat this time, turned around to look at her, smiling at her little girl.

“She’s not the only one,” Lena groaned, stretching. “I’ve definitely got a sunburn.”

“You just lay back and rest, then. Prolonged sun exposure might make humans tired and crabby and sunburnt, but it makes me feel… rejuvenated, I guess. Just close your eyes, babe. I’ll get us home, alright?” Lena hummed sleepily, nodding as she let her eyes close. Kara just smiled softly and continued to drive.

 

“I’m hot, Mama,” Lydia whined, disgruntled at being woken up when they got home. Kara, giving up pretenses now that they were home, just carried Lydia with one arm and slung the bag over her other shoulder. Lena stumbled behind them, having fallen asleep herself on the ride home. “My shoulders hurt.”

“I know, love bug. You look like you’ve got a little too much sun. But that’s okay, we can take care of it,” Kara cooed as she opened the front door, quickly moving to key in the security alarm code. Kara put Lydia down on the ground. “Go get ready for a bath, Lyd. Put your tiger upstairs, take off your clothes and I’ll meet you to draw a bath, okay?” Lydia nodded, rubbing at her nose with her fist before slowly heading up the stairs while Fish trailed after her, gently licking her legs. Once she was up the steps, Kara looked to Lena; her face was clearly burnt and Kara saw the beginnings of a burn peeking out on her arms. “You too, missy,” Kara teased.

“Hmmm?” Lena queried.

“You go up to our bathroom and get yourself ready for a nice, soothing bath. Alex used to get sunburns all the time when we were teenagers. She’d be out surfing all day and rarely remembered to put sunscreen on, so she’s come in all burnt and wincing. Eliza always drew her a lukewarm bath with baking soda, then put on a cold milk compress on the burn,” Kara explained. 

“That’s… that sounds nice,” Lena sighed. “You can handle Lydia?”

“I can. You go take a nice baking soda bath and I will be in to see you as soon as I can.” Kara kissed Lena, mindful of her sunburnt skin, before watching Lena walk up the stairs. Kara sped off, grabbing the baking soda and hurrying to draw baths for both of her Luthor girls, happy to take care of them like this.


	3. Fourth of July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Luthor-Danvers family (plus Jamie) spend this holiday on a trip to the Luthor beach house! Enjoy this short little update!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vague mentions of sexy times towards the end, but nothing explicit.

Kara, Lena, and Lydia decided to spend the Fourth of July at Lena’s beach house on Martha’s Vineyard. The house had been one of the few properties from the Luthor estate that Lena had held onto, though she had offered it to some of her employees in need of a getaway; only one had taken her up on it, though. In the week leading up to the holiday, Lydia brought home more and more red, white, and blue crafts from her summer camp and soon the inside of their house looked ready for its own parade. 

Lena had, of course, invited Maggie and Alex and Jamie, but Maggie had to work on the fourth and Alex was on call as backup in case of any emergencies, though they agreed to fly up for the weekend. Jamie, never having been a fan of the parades and noise of National City during any holiday, was to accompany her aunts and her cousin when they flew in to help take care of the dogs and Lydia.

“I’m bored,” Lydia complained, tugging sharply at her seatbelt. They had left the airport nearly six and a half hours ago, having decided to leave at midnight, shortly after watching the fireworks show that L-Corp sponsored, so that they wouldn’t waste the entire day travelling, but Lydia had already fallen back asleep and woken up with too much energy for an airplane cabin with nearly four hours left in the air. “Why can’t I play with Fishy and Gerty?”

“Because the pilot said so,” Jamie shrugged, flipping the page in her book. Lydia had already colored four pictures since she woke up and didn’t know what to do. Mama had fallen asleep in her seat, facing Lydia and leaning on the window, and Mommy had her headphones on to do some work. The dogs were in the row across from them, buckled into their own special seatbelts and snuggling together on the airplane seats. Lydia just wanted to play with them, but the pilot said before they took off that the dogs should stay buckled as much as possible.

“But why?” Lydia asked, dragging out the question.

“Because it’s not safe for them to be walking around, probably.”

“Why not? Will they fly around like astronauts in space?” Lydia gasped as she imagined the two doggies floating around the airplane and now Lydia wanted more than ever to unbuckle Fishy and see what happened.

“No, probably not. Astronauts fly like that because there isn’t as much gravity in space. Gravity is the stuff that keeps our feet on the ground, and it’s also inside this plane. That’s why we won’t float up if we stand,” Jamie explained, putting her bookmark back in her book and sitting up, resting her chin on her palm and her elbow on her armrest as she looked at Lydia.

“That’s boring,” Lydia said, scrunching her nose and furrowing her eyebrows. Jamie laughed.

“It is,” she agreed.

“But if they won’t fly around, why do doggies have to stay buckled? Why do we?” Lydia continued.

“Because it’s safe. It’s the law,” Jamie shrugged.

“But  _ why _ ?” Lydia insisted. Fish picked his head up and glanced over at her, letting out a little yawn before putting his head back down, but he kept his eyes open, watching the girls.

“Lydia, are you bothering your cousin? She’s trying to read,” Lena hummed softly, taking out one of her headphones. She glanced up from her work tablet.

“Mommy, why do the doggies have to stay buckled on the plane if the gravity keeps them from floating around?” Lydia asked. Lena barked out a laugh.

“Well,” she chuckled, “why do you have to wear a seatbelt in the car?” Lena asked.

“Because the police say so,” Lydia replied.

“Well, yes, but why do they want us to wear seatbelts?” 

“So we don’t bump around and get hurt if the car stops short,” Jamie supplied. “It’s kinda like that on the plane, too.”

“Oh,” Lydid mumbled before turning back to Jamie, brows furrowed. “Well, why didn’t you just say that?” Lena rolled her eyes and laughed before going back to work. Jamie shrugged at Lydia and helped the little girl set up a movie to watch on her mom’s Netflix before opening her book again, content to read for the rest of the flight.

 

Once they’d landed and gotten into the car that had been brought over by Lena’s house staff, Kara got behind the wheel and drove them all to the beach house. Everyone but Lena oohed and ahhed at the large estate set on top of a hill by the water. The children ran straight into the house, the dogs hot on their heels as they scrambled around to explore all of the rooms. Lena set herself and Kara up in the master bedroom, putting Lydia and Jamie together in a guest room with two sets of bunk beds—leftover from when Lex was young and used to bring his friends here, Lena figured. Jamie quickly claimed one top bunk, leaving Lydia to scramble into the adjacent bed set. Having Lydia sleep so high off the ground terrified Lena, but the girl seemed happy and the bunk bed had high enough sides that Lena wasn’t truly afraid of the little girl falling out of bed.

While Lena helped the girls get settled and get ready for the beach, Kara packed a picnic, grateful that Lena had her staff fully stock the kitchen before they arrived.

“Mama, we’re ready for the beach!” Lydia called as she came running down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“You’ve got sunscreen?” Kara asked. Lydia nodded. “A bathing suit?”

“Yep! Look!” Lydia squealed, lifting up her shirt to show off her new white bathing suit that had red, blue, and yellow stars around the Supergirl insignia.

“A towel? Your crocs? Sand toys?” Kara listed off, smiling teasingly at Lydia and Jamie. 

“Mama,” Lydia whined, stomping her foot. 

“I’m just teasing, Lyd. Where’s your mom? Is she ready? You can’t go by yourself,” Kara said, ruffling Lydia’s hair before starting to pull it into a ponytail to keep it out of her face and off her neck. 

“I’m not by myself! Jamie is with me,” Lydia pointed out, squirming as her mother did her hair. 

“I know Jamie is with you, but Jamie is not an adult. If we were just talking about going outside to play in the yard, you and Jamie could go, no problem. But the water is more dangerous, so we need to make sure an adult is watching you at all times to keep you guys safe,” Kara explained patiently.

“I’m here! I’m ready,” Lena called as she came down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Her hair was pulled up in a messy top-knot and she wore a strapless, black two-piece underneath a lacy, white cover-up. Kara had to clear her throat a few times before she could speak.

“Great! Are we all ready to go?” Kara said after a minute. Lena just snickered and winked at Kara, sauntering past her to slip on her sandals and put on her round, Rayban sunglasses, slinging her beach bag over her shoulder. Lena threw open the sliding back door and led the girls out onto the sand. 

Glancing over her shoulder, Lena cocked an eyebrow at Kara and said, “coming love?” Kara’s mouth suddenly went dry as she nodded, picking up the picnic basket and their larger beach bag, following after her girls. “Oh, and I’ll need you to put my sunscreen on for me,” Lena added, pulling out a small bottle of suntan lotion out. “Gotta make sure to get all those places I can’t reach, right?” Lena winked suggestively and Kara felt like she might spontaneously combust right there on the beach.

 

After the sun went down, Kara dug a pit in the sand for a bonfire and they sat roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Lena and Kara relented and let the kids play with sparklers under careful supervision, marveling and shrieking in delight at the unpredictability of the toy. Sleepy and suntanned with bellies full of chocolate and marshmallows, they laid back on blankets to watch the fireworks lighting up the sky all around them. When they were all getting ready to head inside for the night, they got the confirmation that the plane Lena had hired was just about to depart National City with Alex and Maggie, both coming straight from work and ready to take a few days to relax by the beach with their family. With the promise that the women would be arriving sometime tomorrow morning, Kara and Lena were able to get Lydia and Jamie into their pajamas and ready for bed.

“Can we do this every year, Mama?” Lydia asked sleepily as Kara and Lena tucked her into the bunk bed. While Jamie laid in the opposite bunk bed texting Alison, Lena imagined future summers spent here. Family gatherings with Maggie and Alex and Jamie, Eliza, Kara and Lena and Lydia and a few more little kids. Lena imagined her kids wearing matching red, white, and blue outfits, posing for cute pictures together. Lena imagined Lydia teaching her younger siblings how to build sand castles and jump over the waves. She looked over at the soft smile on Kara’s face and knew that she was imagining a similar future.

“Sure thing, love bug,” Lena whispered. “Sleep well,” she added, kissing Lydia’s temple and stepping aside to let Kara say goodnight, heading over to check on Jamie.

“Night little one,” Kara said softly, kissing Lydia’s cheek—still warm from the sun. “Love you.”

“Love you, Mama,” Lydia whispered. “Mommy, too.”

“Are you alright, Jamie?” Lena whispered to the older girl, leaning against the bedpost in an attempt not to invade the girl’s space. Jamie’s freckles became more prominent after a day in the sun and Lena, feeling the sting of a sunburn—despite being vigilant about reapplying sunscreen and staying in the shade of an umbrella—was jealous of the teenager.

“Yeah, just tired,” Jamie yawned. “It was a long day and I didn’t sleep well on the plane,” she confessed, rubbing her eye tiredly. Lena smiled as the action reminded her of Lydia, immediately moving to smooth Jamie’s hair back from her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She froze after realizing, eyes widening.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push any boundaries—” Lena started apologizing, but Jamie cut her off.

“Auntie Lena, it’s alright,” Jamie said, stifling another yawn. “Mama still kisses me goodnight when she thinks I’ve fallen asleep. It’s… nice,” she admitted sheepishly. Lena beamed, warmth blooming in her chest. She thinks this might be the first time Jamie has actually called her ‘Auntie Lena’ to her face.

“Well,” Lena said after a moment, grinning to herself. “Sleep well, Jamie. And say hi to Alison for us all,” Lena added teasingly, stroking Jamie’s hair one more time as she started to head out of the room. Kara quietly said her own goodnight to her niece before joining Lena in the doorway.

“Goodnight girls,” Kara said. “We’re just down the hall if you need us.”

“We’ll leave the hall light on,” Lena added. “Love you.” The girls chorused back their own goodnights, voices heavy and slurred with sleep. Kara switched off the lights and closed the door, leaving it open a crack.

Once alone in the comfort of their own bedroom, Kara kicked the door closed and kissed Lena until she saw her own personal fireworks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July to the Americans and to everyone else... Congrats you lucky bastards on not being here. Leave a comment!


	4. A Day At Camp

Lydia Jacqueline Luthor  _ loved _ going to camp.

She got to be outside  _ all day _ and she got to do so much fun stuff! And some of it was stuff that Mama and Mommy never did with her, like playing Merida and learning how to shoot the bow and arrow. Sure, she missed her Mama and Mommy when she was at camp—especially at nap time— but she was a big girl, and she had lots of fun, too. Plus, she made lots of nice friends there and she got to play in the dirt sometimes which Mama and Mommy  _ never _ let her do.

Lydia loved camp, but her cousin Jamie did  _ not _ .

 

“I’m too old for a stupid summer camp,” Jamie groaned as her mom drove her to her aunts’ house. Alex and Maggie had told her last week that she’d spend a few weeks of the summer enrolled in the teen camp at the same place as Lydia’s camp, and the older girl had been adamant about not wanting to go.

“Your ma and I are both working a lot,” Alex reminded her. “We don’t want you to get bored if you stay home alone all day.”

“But I won’t be! I have Netflix and Hulu and Snapchat and Instagram and so many games I can play! Plus, I’ve got Gertie to walk and I have my skateboard and my bike and I can hang out with friends,” Jamie begged as if she hadn’t made this argument twelve times before.

Like every other time, Alex sighed and said, “It’s just too much unstructured, unsupervised time. We know you think you’re so grown-up, but you’re still young. Kids your age did stupid things all the time when they were left alone—Lord knows your ma and I probably did.”

“I can’t believe you don’t trust me,” Jamie huffed, leaning against the window.

“C’mon, kid. It’s not about trust,” Alex tried to reassure her. “It’s about keeping you safe and happy and healthy. Too much time in front of a screen or too much time spent by yourself has proven to have health risks. It’s a fancy summer camp for upper-middle-class kids, not a prison work camp.” That got Jamie to crack a smile, though she quickly shut it down in favor of scowling out the window, dreading the fact that they were getting closer to Kara and Lena’s house.

“It’s still stupid. I’m almost  _ thirteen _ . I don’t need to be babysat all day,” Jamie huffed.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Alex offered. She carefully considered her wording. “You will go to camp all week, and really  _ try _ to have a good time. Talk to people, participate in activities, go on the trips. At the end of the week, if you really and truly despise it, your ma and I will revisit the idea of sending you later in the summer and we can discuss other options. Sound fair?”

“Yeah! Thanks, Mom!” Jamie said, grinning. Sure, she still had to go to this stupid camp for one week, but at least now she had a way out of it.

 

“Jamie’s coming to camp with me! Jamie’s coming to camp with me,” Lydia sang excitedly, dancing around in her Little Mermaid bathing suit. Lena had told Lydia the exciting news while helping her get ready for camp and she had quickly run around in circles, abandoning her clothes in favor of celebrating. Lena snorted, amused, and was grateful she hadn’t let Kara talk her into telling Lydia last week.

“It’s exciting, I know. But, she won’t be in your group,” Lena reminded her. “Your group is all kids your age. Jamie is older, so she’s going with bigger kids.” Lydia pouted for a moment.

“But we still see the big kids at camp sometimes! Their group will pass ours on the way to activities! I’ll still see Jamie,” Lydia insisted.

“Won’t that be exciting,” Lena grinned. “You’ll have to keep an eye out for her. But you’re still going to listen to your counselors, right?” she added, the warning clear in her tone. Lydia’s counselor had mentioned once that Lydia was sometimes so excited about everything else going on at camp that she struggled to listen to directions. Lena and Kara and Lydia had a long talk that night about using listening ears, though both adults understood that the attention span of a child Lydia’s age wouldn’t be very long, particularly when so overstimulated at an outdoor camp.

“I will! I promise ~~~~I’ll listen so good. Like a bat!” After their trip to the zoo, Lydia had retained quite a few of the fun facts from the zoo display boards and enjoyed quoting them in casual conversation. “Remember, Mommy? Bats can hear, like, 150 times better than us!”

“Well then, I’m glad you’ll be using your bat listening ears,” Lena grinned. “Can you put your clothes on now, please? Jamie is going to ride with you and Mama and she’ll be here soon,” Lena reminded her. The fact that Jamie was arriving soon snapped Lydia to attention and she quickly returned to dressing herself while Lena packed extra clothes in Lydia’s Justice League backpack alongside her other necessities. Lydia has only one sneaker on when the doorbell rang, but she was down the stairs in an instant, footsteps clunking unevenly as her other shoe remained deserted in the bedroom. Lena rolled her eyes, grabbing the backpack and the shoe before following Lydia down the stairs where she and Kara were greeting Alex and a sullen Jamie.

“And you can swim and shoot the bow and arrow and make art projects and play sports. The big kids get to do more stuff like climbing the big rock wall and going out on trips and going hiking and going sailing and stuff! It’s gonna be so much fun, and I’ll be there, too!” Lydia rambled, holding Jamie’s hand and swinging their arms. 

“Lydia, I’m already running late. Can you please put your shoe on?” Lena sighed, checking her watch.

“Babe, you can go. I’m driving them in today,” Kara reminded her.

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive. Go,” Kara said, pulling Lena over by the waist to kiss her. 

“Ew,” Lydia giggled, wrinkling her nose.

“I know, right? Gross,” Alex teased, sticking her tongue out. Lena just rolled her eyes as she pulled away.

“Keep track of your stuff at camp. I’ll be by to pick you girls up later. Have a good day, love you,” Lena said, kissing Lydia’s forehead and waving to Alex and Jamie as she rushed out the door. 

 

“Good morning,” Kara said cheerfully as she approached the camp sign-in desk. 

“Hey there! Who are we dropping off today?” the employee, a young girl named Emily asked.

“Lydia Luthor!” Lydia squeaked, standing on her toes to rest her elbows on the table as she beamed at the camp employee.

“Oh, of course, Lydia. How did I miss you?” Emilie teased. “Who’s your friend?” She asked as she found Lydia’s sign-in page.

“This is Jamie Danvers-Sawyer,” Kara told her, signing the page for Lydia while Emily flipped to find Jamie’s page.

“She’s my cousin! This is her first day,” Lydia said excitedly.

“Well since you’re a pro, Miss Lydia, why don’t you show Jamie back to the tents? She is in the teen camp, so look for the sign that says ‘teen’. Think you can do that?” Emily grinned as Lydia nodded, taking Jamie’s hand and tugging her down the path towards where Kara can hear the shouts of kids playing and laughing.

“Well, bye, I guess,” Kara laughed. Lydia froze, dragging Jamie back so she could get a kiss goodbye from Kara (Jamie got a half-hug as Jamie grumbled about not wanting to be here) before she turned and took Jamie back towards the tents. Kara watched them go before smiling and bidding her goodbye to Emily, getting back in the car and heading to the DEO for her Supergirl shift.

 

“Hi Jamie!” a voice called out. Jamie tried not to roll her eyes at Lydia waving and shouting at her—again. Jamie’s group had been going to the pool for swim lessons the first time Lydia spied them and stood up to scream across the camp at her. The other girls in her group just giggled and cooed about how cute Lydia was. The second time, they were on their way back from the pool and Lydia’s group was on their way in. Lydia ran from her group to hug Jamie, refusing to let go until Jamie picked her up and hugged her. It was cute, but a little embarrassing for Jamie; she didn’t want to be known only as Lydia’s cousin. Now, Lydia was standing at the edge of her group’s huge white marquee tent, peeking out of the plastic walls sealing in the air conditioning.

“If she wasn’t your cousin, I’d think she’s got a crush on you,” Jamie’s counselor laughed. She was an upcoming junior in college, twenty years old with dirty blonde hair and fading pink streaks, freckles, blue eyes, and a nose ring. Whenever Casey talked to Jamie, she had to actively focus on not blushing.

“Yeah, she’s… she’s a weird little kid,” Jamie shrugged, trying to be witty, but failing completely. Jamie blames her Mom for making her so painfully awkward.

“Kids are weird,” Casey agreed, nodding to her co-counselor, Greg. He was tall and muscular and all the other girls seemed to be infatuated with him, giggling and blushing and whispering as they ate their snacks. Jamie watched as Greg called the group to clean up so they could head over to the rock climbing structure for their next activity. 

As they passed the preschoolers’ tent, Jamie started to sigh as Lydia ran out, bouncing on her toes to say hi to her cousin. However, when Jamie caught Casey grinning at the interaction, Jamie just smiled and hugged Lydia, reminding her to put sunscreen on—the kid was seriously so pale— and drink her water. Lydia ran off to do just that and Jamie started walking again.

“You’re a good egg, Jamie,” Casey said softly, ruffling her hair as she walked. Jamie felt her entire face blush bright red. She stared resolutely at the ground, praying that no one else noticed.

 

“Miss Jacqui, can you help me with sunscreen?” Lydia asked, running up to her counselor with the tube of sunscreen in her hand. “Jamie told me I gotta put more sunscreen on ‘cause I’m pale like Mommy.” Her counselor just laughed, her head tipping back as she laughed really loud. Lydia scrunched her nose. “Why is that funny?”

“Oh, kid, it’s not… the way you said it was just… funny… Anyway, yeah give me the sunscreen,” Miss Jacqui said. As Miss Jacqui started putting the sunscreen on Lydia’s skin so she could rub it in, Lydia began to speak.

“What are we doing next?” Lydia asked curiously. Some of the other kids were playing while a few kids finished up their snacks

“We’re going to art and then we’re going to lunch,” Jacqui explained. Lydia just hummed, watching distractedly as her friends played at the sand and water table. “Other leg,” Jacqui prompted. Lydia nodded, putting her foot on Jacqui’s knee as Jacqui put more sunscreen on her legs.

“When is free swim? Can we free swim with Jamie’s group?” Lydia asked. She missed Jamie. Lydia liked camp a lot, but she didn’t like how she didn’t get to see Mommy or Mama all day. She had long days at preschool, but Mama was a teacher there so she could see her. But Mama doesn’t work at the camp and the days are just so long and Lydia gets so tired and cranky. She liked that she could see Jamie sometimes because hugging Jamie made her miss her moms a little less.

“We have a free swim after rest time. I’m not sure when Jamie’s group is swimming. Can I put the sunscreen on your face now?” Lydia sighed and nodded, trying not to squirm, standing on her toes to check if she could still see Jamie.

 

“Miss Jacqui? My belly hurts,” Lydia whispered. They had gone inside to the preschool cabin where the kids could lie down and rest or quietly look at books to relax after lunch. Lydia usually fell asleep pretty quickly, but now her belly was hurting so much that she couldn’t get comfy on her cot.

“Well, what does it feel like?” Jacqui asked.

“Hurts!” Lydia whined, stomping her feet crabbily.

“Please use your words and not your tears,” Miss Jacqui said sternly. Lydia felt her lip wobbling as she tried not to cry anymore.

“Feels like a bellyache all over,” Lydia explained, pointing miserably to her belly. Miss Jacqui felt her forehead and her cheeks, frowning slightly. Lydia just wanted Mommy to come to pick her up and take her home. She wanted to cuddle with Chewie and Mommy and Mama and watch princess movies. She wanted Mommy to give her ginger ale and crackers while Mama sang her songs to make her belly stop hurting.

“Let’s bring you to the nurse, kiddo. She can take a look at you and try to make you feel better,” Miss Jacqui said, holding out a hand to Lydia as she stood up. Lydia sniffled, quietly crying again as she put her hand in front of her face to try and hide the sound. Miss Jacqui just rubbed Lydia’s back, assuring her she would be alright.

 

“Cool hat,” Jamie said, nodding at the girl’s Supergirl baseball cap. They were on their way to the archery range and Jamie was trying to make friends. While none of the girls in her group had been mean to her, she certainly wasn’t making any good friends at this rate; she’d barely spoken to anyone.

“Thanks. You like Supergirl?” Jamie nodded, pleased with herself for making a connection.

“She came to my cousin’s birthday party last year,” Jamie said, trying not to sound like she was bragging. The girl—Madison—raised her eyebrows, clearly skeptical. The girl next to her audibly snickered.

“What, like a Supergirl impersonator or something?” the second girl asked. Jamie thought her name was Chloe or Cleo or something.

“No, like the real Supergirl,” Jamie frowned. This girl was making it sound like Jamie was some stupid kid who didn’t know the difference between some fake Supergirl and the real thing. Other girls started turning to listen to the conversation, drawn in by Chloe (or maybe Cleo?) and her sneer.

“Yeah, right,” the girl laughed meanly. 

“What are you guys talking about, Chloe?” another girl asked softly.  _ So it  _ is _ Chloe, _ Jamie thought to herself.

“Nothing. Jamie just seems to think the  _ real _ Supergirl came to her cousin’s party,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes and scoffing to make it clear that she thought Jamie was an idiot for thinking that.

“But it was!” Jamie protested. “She took my cousin flying in the park!” Chloe just laughed.

“Yeah, okay,” she said dismissively. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I have videos,” Jamie said triumphantly. They were technically on Auntie Lena’s Facebook, but Jamie could easily access them. Jamie pulled her phone out of her backpack, turning it on and hoping no one would tell a counselor she was using her phone. She was going through Lena’s videos—her aunt had a surprising number of videos of Lydia and Kara doing various things—when Greg came to stand over her and held out his hand expectantly for the phone.

“No phones at camp. You’ll get it back at the end of the day,” he said firmly. 

“Can I just show them something first?” Jamie begged. She was  _ so close _ to proving Chloe wrong.

“Sorry, no. You can send it to them after camp,” he asserted.

“Please? It’s important,” Jamie pleaded softly. She saw Chloe smirking from behind Greg and she  _ knew _ Chloe would use this to make everyone think Jamie was a liar or an idiot who really thought a Supergirl impersonator was real.

“What’s happening over here? What’s so important?” Casey asked, sidling over curiously.

“I wanted to show them a video of the  _ real _ Supergirl at my cousin’s party last year. Chloe doesn’t think it was the real one, but it  _ was _ !” Jamie was embarrassingly close to stomping her foot like Lydia does when she’s throwing a temper tantrum.

“Ooh, that does sound cool! Show me,” Casey said, grinning. Greg gave an exasperated sigh. “Oh, c’mon, Greg. Just this once. Supergirl is so cool,” she beseeched. After a moment, he shrugged.

“It’s on you,” he muttered. Casey nodded and waved him away and Jamie immediately went back to find the video. The whole group crowded around to see. It was from Lydia’s birthday party last summer and started with the hero holding Lydia and taking off into the sky, taking a long, lazy loop around the park. It cut off just before and Jamie remembered the chaos as a masked figure in black started to attack the party. She scrolled through after to show people the pictures of Jamie and her family posing with Supergirl.

“Whoa!”

“That’s so awesome!” 

“Could you get her to come to my birthday?”

“That’s so cool.”

“I wanna go flying.” The girls’ chatter overlapped and Jamie shot a triumphant grin over at Chloe, who just rolled her eyes and started walking towards the archery range.

“ _ Who’s got Jamie Danvers-Sawyer? _ ” a voice squawked over the walkie-talkie.

“Oooh,” some of the girls chorused softly. 

“She’s in my group, why?” Greg responded. The group paused at the gate to the archery range.

_ “She’s needed at the nurse for her cousin. Can one of you come to walk her over?” _ Casey volunteered, bringing Madison and her friend Alice so that she wasn’t alone with Jamie as they began quickly heading to the camp nurse, Jamie anxiously twisting her bracelet, worried about Lydia now.

 

When Jamie got into the nurse’s office, she could hear Lydia crying out for her mom. Jamie just dropped her backpack and ran into the back, following the noise. She found Lydia whimpering on a cot, squirming around and holding her stomach. She looked so small and upset, face red and stained with tears. 

“What’s wrong, Lydia?” Jamie asked softly, dragging over a chair to sit next to her. She stroked Lydia’s hair the way Ma did when she was sick.

“My belly h-hurts,” she whined. Lydia curled into Jamie’s hands.

“Did you try going to the bathroom? My moms always make me at least try when I say my stomach hurts,” Jamie whispered, distinctly aware that two girls in her group and her counselor were still in the room while Casey was quietly whispering with the nurse.

“No,” Lydia sniffled, lower lip wobbling.

“Shhh, you’re alright. It’s gonna be fine,” Jamie cooed repetitively, watching as the words soothed her and Lydia stopped squirming, content to just lay with her head resting against Jamie’s leg, one hand curled around her belly and the other holding onto Jamie as her cousin stroked her hair.

“Mom’s on the way, cutie pie. She’s gonna bring you home so your belly will feel better,” the nurse informed them.

“Mommy or Mama?” Lydia asked, chewing on her thumbnail. The nurse furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side.

“Lena?” she said cautiously.

“Mommy,” Jamie confirmed. “Mommy’s coming. You’ll be just fine, okay?”

“Jamie, you’re going home, too. It’ll be about half an hour until she can get here. Are you alright to stay with Lydia or do you need to get something from your tent?” Casey asked.

“I’m good. Thank you, Casey.”

“See you tomorrow, Jamie. Don’t forget, we’re going to the science museum tomorrow.” Jamie nodded. “Feel better, kiddo,” Casey added, waving to Lydia. Lydia just nodded and began to chew on her thumbnail, releasing her grip on Jamie’s hand.

 

After Lena had arrived, frazzled and nervous and having just run out of a board meeting leaving lots of grumpy old men behind, she signed out both girls and put them in the car, fussing over Lydia the whole time. She gave Lydia some cool water to sip and some crackers and Lydia munched on them quietly in her car seat, head bobbing back and forth as if she were having trouble staying awake. They were halfway home when Lydia finally passed out, empty cracker package falling to the ground and water safely stored in her cup holder.

“How was your first day of camp?” Lena asked, still sometimes a little awkward when one-on-one with Jamie. The preteen just shrugged. “What activities did your group do?” 

“Swim lessons, we learned how to use a pottery wheel in art, we played some lacrosse, then after lunch, we were on our way to the archery field when they sent me to the nurse to help Lydia,” Jamie recounted.

“Did you make any friends?” Lena asked after a while.

“I think I did,” Jamie said, smiling to herself. At least, she certainly hopes she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am planning on having their wedding be in mid-late September, which is also when I hope to have the wedding fic up. However, planning even a fictional wedding requires a lot of decision making and I'm terrible at making decisions, so I'm posing the questions to you guys! I'm going to ask a question regarding my Supercorp wedding and you guys can comment your opinion. Ready?
> 
> 1\. Should Kara wear a dress or a suit?  
> 2\. Should Lena wear a dress or a suit?  
> 3\. Should either Lena or Kara be escorted up to the altar (and if so, by whom?) 
> 
> Alright, I hope you guys have some opinions because I am indecisive as all hell. Please comment! Next chapter: Supercorp and Sanvers families take on a polo match!


	5. Polo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know I had to write something regarding Katie and that damn polo outfit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for sexual innuendo at the end of the chapter! Or maybe it's a little bit of straight up dirty talk? I don't really know...

“Mommy, what’s polo? And why do we have to wear fancy dresses? And why are you and Mama wearing funny hats? Do I have to wear a funny hat?” Lydia rambled. Lena had been invited to attend a charity polo match in Newport, RI and had flown her family as well as Kara’s down to the area for a weekend of fun. Lydia sat on the master bed of the townhouse they’d rented on the island to watch her moms prepare for the day.

“Polo is a fancy sport that kings and princes used to play. They ride their horses and try to hit a ball into a goal,” Kara explained as she straightened Lena’s hair.

“So it’s not like Marco Polo?” Lydia asked nose scrunched up.

“Not quite,” Kara laughed. “Why don’t you go see if Fish and Gertrude are ready to go?” Lydia nodded, eagerly skittering out of the room in her floral romper, braids flying behind her. “You look so damn hot,” Kara whispered, leaning closer to Lena. Pulling the flat iron away from her head for a moment, Kara bent down to press soft kisses into Lena’s warm neck and shoulder. Lena was dressed in red bell-bottom, high-waisted trousers with a bandeau on and a long, black and flowered, chiffon overcoat that fell down to her ankles. She had a pair of tan heels and her floppy sun hat was sitting on the bed along with her oversized, circular sunglasses. Kara rubbed her hand lovingly over Lena’s exposed belly, nipping and sucking on Lena’s neck.

“Kara, love, no hickeys. Your sis—ah! Your sister would never let us live it down,” Lena sighed, jumping when Kara tugged on Lena’s earlobe with her teeth.

“You’re no fun,” Kara said and Lena swore she could _hear_ the pout in her voice. Lena just hummed and closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of Kara straightening her hair.

 

“Well, don’t you all just look so ready for polo! And such cute dogs!” one of the attendants smiled charmingly. She was an older woman who stood at the entrance to the field. “Do you guys have tickets already?”

“We do. Right here,” Lena said, producing the luxury passes she’d purchased.

“Oh, my! Miss Luthor, I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognize you! Of course, you and yours have tickets. You can go right in and walk to the left towards that patio, see? Someone over there can help you find your seats,” she said, clearly flustered as she stood to let them through.

“Thank you so much,” Lena said, smiling at the woman. “Enjoy the match.”

“And you as well, miss!” the woman called after a few minutes, Lena and her family already walking down the red carpet with Fish and Gertrude happily leading the way, noses to the ground as they pulled Kara along. The field was abuzz with activity. People were already setting up lawn chairs and small tables at the side of the field behind the white lines. Children and dogs ran around in the pitch, enjoying the summer sunshine as the ocean breeze played through the trees. They easily found their way to the patio where another polo association employee checked their passes before ushering them in to find their seats.

“Would you like a picture of your party, Miss Luthor?” the employee offered. Kara accepted gratefully, positioning everyone with the field in the background and making sure everyone was smiling and the dogs were sitting obediently as the employee took photos of the dashing family, all dressed for a proper afternoon at a polo match.

Lena, as the polo veteran, had been consulted frequently by her family to ensure their outfits were on par with the proper polo gear. Kara had left her hair in its natural waves, keeping it simple with a blue, plaid dress and sandals. Maggie wore a beautiful baby blue sundress, which countered nicely with Alex’s fitted black tank top over khaki capris paired with a leather jacket. Jamie, according to Alex and Maggie, took the longest to get dressed, agonizing over her outfit choices. Lena assured her she was properly dressed with her green tank-top with white polka dots tucked neatly into a pleated, white, A-line skirt. The dangly gold necklace she wore it with had been a gift from Alison, a blushing Jamie had confessed.

“Drinks, anyone?” Lena asked once they were seated. Lena had opted for the best seats money could buy, reserving a table under the awning so they were protected in the shade, seated at the center of the field as close as they could be.

“Apple juice!” Lydia declared. “Please,” she added after Lena quirked an eyebrow.

“Can I get a soda, please, Mom?” Jamie asked, looking from Alex to Maggie. When both women nodded, she beamed. “Grape soda, please, Lena!” Lena took Maggie and Alex’s drink orders and went to open a tab for their table. A server promised to bring the drinks over as soon as they’re ready, so Lena returned to the table to find everyone (probably egged on by Kara) had broken into the snacks.

“Those have to last us through the whole match,” Lena reminded them before grabbing a kale and spinach mini-quiche. Kara and Maggie offer to take the kids and dogs out onto the pitch to play with a Frisbee that Kara had packed while Lena and Alex waited for the drinks.

“Gets me my drink faster,” Alex had shrugged, leaning back in her chair and lifting one leg to rest her ankle on her knee while resting her arm on the back of the chair Maggie had just vacated. Lena nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a while, watching as Kara patiently tried to teach Lydia to throw the Frisbee while Maggie and Jamie played fetch with the dogs, letting them run after a tennis ball.

“How’s the wedding planning?” Alex asked once the drinks had arrived and she had taken a long pull from her beer.

“It’s… a lot,” Lena laughed. “There are more decisions than we realized, even with our wedding planner. And we’ve already done all of the big stuff like the bridal parties and your outfits and our outfits. Even so, with all of the little details and decisions that need to be made...” Lena trailed off.

“Yeah, I was really overwhelmed when Maggie and I got married. And Maggie was just so good at it; it was infuriating,” Alex chuckled. “Your caterer is coming to do your tasting next weekend, right?” Lena and Kara had hired a Montana-based catering company and they were flying out for a tasting so that the brides and their friends could decide on a wedding cake flavor as well as the menu for the dinner.

“Yes! You and Maggie and Jamie are still coming, right?”

“Right. Well, Jamie is going to a friend’s birthday sleepover, so she’s not coming,” Alex added. Lena nodded. Lena swilled her cocktail around in the glass, glad that it provided her with something to do with her hands.

“How long until this match starts?” Alex asked suddenly.

“About an hour and a half, I believe. Should we go out into the field? Are you feeling antsy, Agent Danvers?” Lena teased.

“Always,” Alex said with a lazy grin. “ _Doctor_ Luthor.” Lena groaned and laughed. Alex had been visiting Lena at her office one day around lunch and had been looking at her degrees, noticing the Ph.D. from National City University. Alex had insisted Lena tell her everything about her thesis and Lena confessed to giving her dissertation when Lydia was a baby, rocking her and feeding her while defending her thesis to the committee of professors. Alex had declared this badass and after much prodding, Lena explained that she asked people not to call her ‘doctor’ to prevent the media from painting her as some sort of Mad Scientist Luthor, hell-bent on destroying the world. Still, Alex insisted on teasing Lena about her title while remaining impressed that the young girl had finished her thesis by the time she was 21 while also raising her daughter on her own.

“I hate you,” Lena deadpanned, standing up and heading towards the field.

“Yeah, but we’re family, so you have to love me,” Alex smirked, easily jogging to catch up and draping her arm across Lena’s shoulders. Lena was grateful for her large, circular sunglasses blocking her eyes because it gave her just enough plausible deniability to assert that she most certainly was _not_ crying thank you very much.

 

“Look! Mommy, look at the horsies!” Lydia cried excitedly as the first rider came out onto the field. The horse was strong, fourteen and a half hands tall with a beautiful chestnut coat. The rider, a young woman, controlled her horse with one hand and balanced her mallet on her shoulder as she rode a lap around the field, grinning and waving at the crowd.

“I know, love,” Lena said, smiling. “Did you know I used to ride horses?”

“You did?” Lydia gasped.

“Of course you did. I bet you were a champion rider, weren’t you?” Maggie snorted, reaching down to offer the dogs treats for settling in so nicely.

“Actually, I played polo in high school,” Lena revealed, shrugging. “Anyway, I always loved riding. Maybe we could take you horseback riding sometime, Lydia.” At this, Lydia nodded so quickly she looked like a cartoon bobblehead. They lapsed back into silence as the announcer continued to introduce the players before the game started. The man’s rapid explanations of the action were laced with technical terms and left most of the Danvers and Sawyer girls feeling rather lost.

“Mama, where’s the ball?” Lydia asked, sitting up on her knees as she peered around the field, trying to find the small white ball amidst the clomping hooves and broad bodies of the horses running around the field.

“One of the horses stepped on it, so the referee is getting it out and switching in a new ball, see?” Lena answered, pointing to the referee tossing in a fresh ball.

“Why did the horse step on it?” Lydia asked nose scrunched up in confusion.

“He didn’t mean to,” Jamie interjected. “But the ball is so small, I bet the horses just get confused and if the rider misses it, sometimes a horse steps on it without meaning to, right Auntie Lena?”

“Exactly,” Lena said, standing suddenly, craning her neck before cheering. “Look! The home team scored a goal! Did you see that, Lydia?” Lydia was practically standing on her chair now, leaning up on the table to try and see out into the field.

“Bottom down, missy,” Kara warned sternly.

“Lena, what the hell is this announcer saying? What’s a chukka?” Alex whispered to Lena.

“A chukka is the equivalent of an… inning, or a quarter. It’s just the unit that the game is divided into.”

“How many are there?” Maggie asked.

“Six to eight, usually. I believe since this is a charity match, it’s going to have six chukkas. That’s usually what they do.” She shrugged, eyes glued to the horses moving across the field. “Oh, look at that! Did you see how number 3 on the away team chipped the ball on her other side? She managed to get her mallet up and over her horse to get the ball out and away from the home team with her mallet on her non-dominant side. That takes quite a bit of coordination.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Maggie nodded.

“Lovebug, why don’t you color in this picture of some polo horses, hmmm? I know the game might be a little tough to follow,” Kara offered quietly, pushing a few coloring pages across the table towards Lydia. While it was clear that the action and the horses were keeping Lydia’s attention pretty well, the inability to make heads or tails of the game, in general, made it harder for Lydia to keep up.

“No, Mama, I wanna watch!” Lydia shushed Kara, put took the page anyway, saving it for a little while later. After a moment of squirming and trying to see around the grown-ups to watch the game, Lydia climbs down off her chair to sit on the ground with Fish and Gertie; it was much easier to see around grown-ups’ legs than their whole bodies.

 

“Ten bucks that the red team wins,” Alex declared as the third chukka was drawing to an end. The home team in their red uniforms were winning by three, and as the drinks kept flowing, Alex and Maggie were getting more competitive and silly.

“No way! I got twenty that says the white team makes a comeback and wins the match,” Maggie countered, cheeks ruddy. “Twenty bucks and when I win, you have to take me to that new vegan place on Sixth Street.”

“Ugh, gross,” Alex said, sticking her tongue out teasingly. “I’ll take your bet, but when I win… I get to plan dinners for two weeks, so there’s no more making me eat tofu.”

“It was one time, Danvers,” Maggie said, rolling her eyes.

“Excuse you, it’s Danvers- _Sawyer_ ,” Alex smirked. Maggie just kissed her cheek and shook her hand.

“It’s a bet.”

“You guys are so embarrassing,” Jamie groaned.

“What’s your expert opinion, Lee?” Kara asked.

“Ireland to win, but Bulgaria gets the snitch,” Lena replied cheekily. Kara, Alex, and Jamie all laughed.

“Nerds, all of you,” Maggie sighed dramatically.

“Oh please, you got that reference too,” Alex said.

“Yeah, Mom. Don’t pretend you don’t love Harry Potter. You’ve made five separate Pottermore accounts just to keep taking the tests to make sure your results are still the same,” Jamie accused.

“Aha! The liar is exposed!” Alex cried. A few nearby spectators gave them sidelong looks. Lena chose to ignore it as the chukka ended and spectators were called to the field for the traditional stomping of the divots.

“What’s that mean, Mommy?” Lydia asked, twirling and skipping excitedly as she waited for the grown-ups to stand up and get the dogs ready to go out onto the field. “What’s a dib-it?”

“It’s a divot, love, with a v. Vvv,” Lena corrected gently, watching as Lydia made the v-sound with her. "And a divot is just a little hole or a spot where something sank in a bit. On fields like this, the horses’ hooves and shoes will get caught in the soft grass and make imprints, like tracks. And when they step on the ball, that makes an even bigger divot. It’s a tradition in polo to go out into the field at halftime and have the spectators—that’s the people watching—stomp the divots and fill them in so that horses don’t trip on them or get hurt.”

“Oh. Cool!” Lydia beamed, running ahead as the group slowly made their way onto the field. Kara, with Fish and Gertrude at her heels, jogged ahead to catch up to Lydia.

“How are you even walking in those heels?” Alex asked. “You’ve had three cocktails, plus two glasses of champagne.”

“What can I say? I’ve always been good with my alcohol,” Lena smirked, her cheeks notably pink, though her gait was precise and surefooted. “Now, let’s find some divots.” She waved her half-drunk cocktail glass around as she walked, stomping on the half-moon prints in an attempt to even out the ground.

 

“I bet that number four on the home team will score two more goals before this chukka ends,” Lena said boldly. The home team had fallen behind in the first chukka after halftime and with a minute and a half left, the home team had gotten possession of the ball and was moving into position near the goal posts.

“No way, there isn’t enough time,” Kara scoffed. Number four passed the ball to number two and the shot went wide, missing the posts and going out of bounds. “See? Now the away team has the ball.”

“Let’s make it a proper bet,” Lena said, softer now while lowering her voice an octave. “If I’m right, you can wear that pretty new strap-on and fuck me until my pelvis shatters. If I’m wrong, you can do… whatever you want to me in bed tonight,” she whispered in Kara’s ear, practically purring. Kara visibly shuddered.

“Deal,” she croaked. Lena smirked, turning and watching as number four stole the ball from the white team, ping-ponging the ball around the field by passing it to her teammates before getting into position herself, hitting the ball and sending it sailing right through the goal posts.

“One down,” Lena beamed. Kara was _so_ grateful that Alex and Maggie had left to take the kids to the bathroom. Lena, meanwhile, wasn’t sure whether she wanted number four to score or not; either way, she would. Play continued and Kara watched the clock run out; number four didn’t touch the ball again and Lena couldn’t find it in herself to be upset.

Kara _loved_ polo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the questions I asked at the end of the last chapter, the people have spoken! Both Kara and Lena will be in dresses, though Kara's will favor a Kryptonian style. Both Lena and Kara will walk unescorted. Now for an important one: the song they play for the first dance. I have some ideas, but if you have a suggestion, feel free to add that!  
> 1) "Lionheart" by Demi Lovato (though I imagine it played by a string quartet or something so it's a little slower with less bass)  
> 2) "She" by Jen Foster (again, imagine it a little slower)  
> 3) "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper  
> 4) "When I get Up" by Tegan and Sara  
> 5) "Hearts Don't Break Around Here" by Ed Sheeran
> 
> So just give those a listen, then let me know which of these (or another) you think would be good! I'm really indecisive and I could see them dancing to any one of these...


	6. Lazy Crazy Hazy Days of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a catch-all, end of summer wrap up chapter. I had originally intended for the scenes in this chapter to be like three separate chapters but my motivation to write this summer was in the toilet, so here we are. Anyway, enjoy!

The entire month of August seems to pass in a flurry of wedding planning, school shopping, and business trips for Lena.

Alex and Maggie hosted the bridal shower in their backyard, an elegant garden party with tea sandwiches and a decadent cake. While Lena and Kara wanted for nothing, they had instead asked people to donate what they could to various charities in their name. They spent the afternoon and evening of the party playing silly Pinterest-inspired bridal shower games, drinking champagne and wine coolers.

Lena and Kara released an engagement announcement to the press after that and Lena’s office was quickly inundated with paparazzi taking photos and looking for quotes about her relationship with Kara. Lena hadn’t even realized how she seemed to gather a cult following; some of her fans were women and young girls interested in STEAM who were thrilled to have a woman in charge of such a large, successful company. Her other fans, evidently, were some ragtag seeming group of young queer people who appreciated the openness with which Lena had always lived her life.

And it was this second group that could be quite… vocal, particularly in the comments section of any article or post about Lena.

“Some of these are so sweet, Lena! Look, this person says that you were their inspiration for coming out and they never would have done it if you hadn’t. That’s cute!” Kara giggled. It was the evening after the announcement had hit the news and Kara was reading the comments on the article CatCo had published about the pair.

“That’s nice, I suppose,” Lena remarked, far more focused on making the goody-bags for Lydia’s upcoming fifth birthday party.

“Geez, Lee, a lot of these are really… sexual. This girl says she’d love to be sandwiched between the both of us. And this one here says they want to sandwich you between me and them. Oh, look! A bunch of people replied and—oh, wow, that’s basically porn. I don’t know how these comments aren’t moderated.” Kara blushed bright red as she put her phone down. This got Lena’s attention and she peered over Kara’s shoulder at the content on the screen.

“The comments were only posted a few minutes ago. I’m sure if you refresh it, some of them will have been taken down.” Lena shrugged, unconcerned. “I learned not to look too closely at the captions when I was still a teenager.” 

When Kara went back to look at the comments again later that evening, she found that CatCo had turned on a comment moderator and most of the comments were much more tame (though, Lena enjoyed the creativity of one commenter who capitalized the first letter of random words so that the capital letters spelled out ‘LICK MY PUSSY MISS LUTHOR’).

 

After the bridal shower, it was time for Lydia’s birthday party. They held the affair at the zoo this year to accommodate Lydia’s newfound obsession with random animal facts. They arrived at the zoo late in the morning, meeting the party guests in the main entrance area. Since the guests all had free park access for the entire day, they had agreed to meet two hours before their scheduled party time to let the kids run around the zoo and explore the animal exhibits. Lydia eagerly led her friends around, sharing any animal facts she could and marvelling as her friends shared the facts they knew.

As lunchtime approached and the kids were getting tired and hungry, Lena and Kara led the group of parents and kindergarteners to the party pavilion. The area was decorated with balloons and Kara quickly hung the banner they’d ordered specially for the party. The kids sat at a large, circular wooden picnic table covered in a reusable tablecloth covered in cartoon animals in party hats. As an employee helped pass out pizza slices, hot dogs, ice cream sandwiches, and juice, Lydia came bounding up to hug her mother. 

“Mommy, when do we get to meet the animals?” Lydia asked excitedly. 

“After cake time, silly girl,” Lena reminded her. When Lena saw the option to have someone bring out a zoo animal for the kids to greet and learn about, she knew that it had to happen. Lena and Kara had decided to let the animal be a surprise, hoping that their choice would satisfy the little girl and her curious friends.

The guests were a mixture of kids from Lydia’s preschool, new friends from summer camp, and a few of the kids they’d met in the neighborhood along with each child’s parents. Of course, Maggie and Alex were also making an appearance with Jamie. They arrived fashionably late, opting out of the zoo excursion since they had already been two other times that summer (both times Alison had accompanied them, holding Jamie’s hand and reading the informational tidbits as they went).

At last, the time had come for the animal and its handler to come out. The kids all gathered on a circular carpet under the pavilion. There were red circles where the kids were asked to sit to leave the animal some space and they watched with bated breath as the handler rolled out a cart with an animal carrier on it. The carrier was covered—to add to the suspense—as the handler put it on the ground in the middle of the circle.

“This is an animal that some people have kept as pets going as far back as to the time of the ancient Egyptians. They’re pretty small creatures, only weighing about one and a half to four and a half pounds, usually, but they sleep most of the day away! It’s an animal that’s related to the European polecat. Does anyone have any guesses what this animal might be?” the handler asked. Immediately, several hands shot up.

“A cat!” one little boy shouted confidently when the handler called on him.

“Not quite,” she smiled. “Some people think they look a lot alike, but they’re not all that closely related. Anyone else wanna guess?” This continued on for another two minutes as children continued to guess.

“A mouse!”

“A bunny!”

“A kitten!” 

After the kids had exhausted several guesses, the handler pulled the cover off of the animal’s carrier to reveal: “it’s a ferret!” she proclaimed proudly. Kids oohed and aahed, trying to crowd closer to the creature in the cage. Parents quickly jumped up to help the handler urge the kids back to their spots in the audience. The handler put on a thin pair of cloth gloves before opening the crate and putting her hand inside. The ferret, a small thin creature with beautiful russet and darker brown fur, quickly crawled out onto the handler’s arm and up to her shoulder, perching there to regard the children curiously as the handler continued to introduce the ferret to the children.

“Gross,” Jamie whispered, wrinkling her nose. She was stood in the back with her moms and her aunts, too old to really be sitting with the little kids but not quite old enough to feel comfortable sitting here with the adults.

“Ferrets are actually very clean,” Lena remarked off-handedly. “I made sure of that before I booked this particular animal encounter. They’re very intelligent creatures.”

“They look like rats,” Jamie countered.

“Yes, but they’re not actually descended from rats. They were actually used as vermin control, like cats were,” Kara added. Jamie just grunted, still not quite liking the look of the ferret. She stayed in her spot when the handler invited the kids and parents to come up—two at a time, so as not to overwhelm the critter—to pet the ferret.

The party ended shortly after, once Lydia had the chance to open her gifts and thank her friends. It wasn’t until they were home and settled in the living room watching a movie that Lena remembered.

“It’s the anniversary,” she said, her face paling. Immediately, she stood and ran to the nearest bathroom, suddenly feeling as if she might throw up.

“Mommy?” Lydia asked nervously, turning away from the  _ Trolls  _ movie.

“She’s alright, love bug. You stay here and keep watching and I’ll check on her, okay?” Kara kissed Lydia’s head before going to the bathroom to find Lena dry heaving into the toilet, shaking and sweaty.

“I forgot,” Lena croaked after the heaving had stopped. She was still hunched over the toilet miserably, though she hadn’t actually thrown up. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Forgotten what, Lee?” Kara asked, wiping a cool, damp cloth across Lena’s forehead, cheeks, and neck as she offered her a glass of water to rinse her mouth. Kara waited patiently as Lena seemed to gather herself, rinsing her mouth and brushing her teeth. She leaned back against the sink, staring at the wall across from her. Kara stood next to her, brushing her hand with her pinky to remind Lena she was there if she needed her.

“It’s the five-year anniversary of Jack’s death. And I just—I  _ forgot _ . What kind of bloody fucking best friend am I?” Lena’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke. “I’ve  _ never _ forgotten before. Lydia and I have always made time around this time of year to go to his grave. I tell her stories about him and I show her pictures and we just… it’s silly to say out loud, but it’s like we can still involve him in our lives. And I just—I  _ forgot _ . How could I do that to him?” Lena was sobbing by the point and Kara opened her arms as Lena fell into them, clasping her fingers tightly in Kara’s t-shirt, clinging to her tightly.

“Shhh, love, it’s going to be alright. You can still visit him tomorrow. He understands, I’m sure he does. He knows you miss him,” Kara assured her, squeezing Lena with a practiced ease, just tight enough to comfort without crushing Lena’s internal organs.

“I’m a shit friend,” Lena whispered after her sobs lessened.

“You’re not,” Kara insisted. “You’re a mother who also happens to run one of the largest highest-grossing fortune 500 companies. Not to mention, we’re getting married in a month and our daughter just turned five and is starting kindergarten. There’s a lot going on right now. I’m sure Jack understands that.” Lena just kept shaking her head, lower lip wobbling. “You’re going to go visit his grave tomorrow, and it’ll be alright. You can explain what happened and do everything you usually do. I’ll even make you guys a special picnic lunch to bring, if you want.” Kara rubbed Lena’s back and kissed her temple. She vaguely remembered Lena and Lydia taking a day to themselves around this time last year, but Kara had still been busy trying to find a way to balance her Supergirl duties so she hadn’t really taken notice of it.

“Us,” Lena whispered, so softly that even Kara wasn’t sure she heard properly.

“Hmm?” 

“Us. I want you to come with us, too. You, me, and Lydia. And Jack, sort of.” Lena whispered, her voice cracking. “Will you come with us? I want to—well, it’s kind of silly, but I’d like to formally introduce you to him. Or, rather, his headstone. But still.” Lena rested her ear against Kara’s chest and sighed deeply.

“I’ll be there,” Kara promised. “If you want me there, I’ll be there.” Kara kissed Lena again before gently ushering her back out to the living room where they snuggled on the couch with Lydia, assuring her that her Mommy was indeed fine and she just got a little sad for a while. They would explain more the next day when they were at the gravesite.

 

The next day, Kara packed a basket with lunch and snacks and a comfy picnic blanket. Lena got Lydia dressed and spent an hour in Lydia’s room reminding her about her father and about their visit to see him. The ride to the cemetery was nearly an hour, but Lena gave Lydia her tablet to watch cartoons which allowed Lena and Kara to chat quietly. They stopped on the way to get fresh flowers as well as some incredibly realistic wooden flowers so that they wouldn’t wilt. Lena directed Kara through the cemetery until instructing her to pull over, intertwining their hands together with Lydia on her other side.

“Why don’t I give you and Lydia a few minutes alone with him?” Kara suggested softly as they approached the stunning onyx headstone, clearly marked with his family name. Below it, it listed his birth and death dates as well as what Lena had told Kara was one of his favorite quotes: “For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” —Margaret Heffernan.

“No, you come,” Lena insisted, tugging Kara along. Lena quickly laid the blanket on the ground under the shade of the adjacent willow tree. Lena and Kara sat side by side and Lydia climbed onto Lena’s lap. “Hi Jack,” Lena said, voice small.

“Hi, Daddy,” Lydia added. A smile twitched at the corner of Lena’s mouth.

“I’m so sorry I forgot, Jack. You know I hate making excuses, but I promise it was unintentional.” Kara squeezed Lena’s hand lightly. “It’s been a busy year! A lot has happened for me and I—well, I wish you could be here to see a lot of it. L-Corp is doing really well. I wouldn’t have been able to keep it running if it hadn’t been for you.” Lena turned to Kara. “Without the money he left for us, the hospital bills and the upkeep of a company would have bankrupted me within two months.”

“Daddy took care of us,” Lydia nodded wisely. Lena kissed the crown of her head.

“He did. Why don’t you tell Daddy about what’s going on in your life?” Lena suggested. 

“I’m almost five, Daddy! My party was yesterday, but I turn five on Wednesday. Then I start kindergarten in a week! Mommy got really sad after my party yesterday. She says there was so much stuff going on that she kinda forgot it was the day you died. But that’s okay! She didn’t forget about you,” Lydia quickly assured. Lena chuckled. As Lydia chattered on, Lena smiled at Kara.

“And I’m gonna be a flower girl in Mama and Mommy’s wedding!” Lydia exclaimed excitedly.

“You heard that right, Jack, I am indeed getting married next month.” Lena rolled her eyes and added to Kara, “I used to be quite the cynic. I declared that I would never get married. I’m sure that wherever Jack might be, he’s saying ‘I told you so’. Anyway, Jack, this is Kara. I told you about her last year. But I wanted to introduce the two of you. I think you’d get along quite well if you were still here.”

“I’m glad you think that,” Kara said softly. She turned to the headstone. “Um, hi Jack. I’m Kara. I don’t know what Lena told you about me, but I hope it was all good. I know she misses you a lot, and we wish you could be here to see your best friend get married.”

“Me too,” Lena croaked, eyes welling with tears. Kara leaned into her side and pressed a kiss to the corner of Lena’s lips.

“Why don’t you tell me more about him?” Kara suggested.

They spent an hour sitting by his headstone, picking at grapes and crackers. Lydia and Kara listened eagerly as Lena shared stories about Jack. When it was time to leave, Kara took Lydia back to the car first to give Lena one more moment alone to remember her best friend.

“Mama?” Lydia said. Kara turned in her seat to look at Lydia. The little girl, tan from the summer sun (Lena swore that was all Jack—she only ever burned), furrowed her brow and looked conflicted. 

“Yes, Lydia?”

“I don’t like how sad Mommy gets when she misses Daddy. But I like that she has you to make her feel better,” Lydia remarked, fiddling with the fur on her stuffed Chewbacca.

“That’s very sweet, love. I know it’s hard when Mommy gets sad about missing your dad, but it’s just because he was one of her very best friends. He was a very good man, I think,” Kara said, though she was starting to feel a little out of her depth. For all of the times she and Lena had discussed Jack (usually when Lena was already sad or drunk), Kara didn’t truly feel like she knew the man well enough to discuss him with her daughter.

“That’s good,” Lydia hummed. “Can Ruby come play sometime soon? I wanna show her my new princess puzzle.” Kara just laughed and assured Lydia that she and Lena would certainly talk to Sam about setting up a playdate. After another minute, Lena rejoined them in the car with wet eyes and red tear tracks down her cheeks, but she seemed lighter somehow. 

“Good to go?” Kara asked. Lena sniffed, giving Kara a warm, sleepy smile. She buckled her seatbelt.

“Good to go.”

 

The end of the summer was marked by Lydia’s first day of school.

Lydia woke an hour before sunrise, excitedly jumping into her moms’ bed to wake them up. It took some time to convince her to settled back into their bed and it was only with the promise of Lena and Kara taking turns reading to her. After getting through a few picture books and drifting back to sleep for a little while, Kara wrenched herself out of bed to make pancakes, bacon, and fruit. 

Lydia bounded down the stairs, Fish hot on her heels. Lydia’s dress had a green skirt with white flowers and a white top, her hair in two braids thanks to Lena. More than once, Lena and Kara had to remind Lydia not to eat too quickly lest she choke. While Lena and Kara got ready for work, Lydia was placated with morning cartoons (she was  _ never _ allowed to watch TV in the morning before preschool). 

Finally, they were at the school, gathering in the yard with all of the other parents and kids bidding each other goodbye. Teachers and administrators were walking around trying to organize things, ushering kids to their assigned area to wait for classmates. Lydia, who had been tugging and pulling, eager to get to school, suddenly stopped and clung tight to Lena’s wrist, practically hiding behind her.

“Lydia?” Lena asked quietly, stopping and pulling Lydia to the side. She and Kara squatted down closer to Lydia. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Lydia just shrugged, her eyes darting around.

“There’s a lot of people, aren’t there?” Kara asked, wrinkling her nose. “A lot more than Sunny Start.” Lydia nodded. “Yeah, it can be a little scary. But it’s okay. You remember meeting Ms. Platt. What did you think of her?”

“She’s nice,” Lydia mumbled, chewing on her thumbnail. Lydia gently pulled her thumb away from her mouth.

“She is very nice. And you are going to have a good day, I bet. It’s okay if you’re sad or scared or lonely, but you know we’re going to come right here at the end of the day to pick you up, right? You can tell us all about the games you played and the friends you made and the things you learned,” Lena said, squeezing Lydia’s hands in her own. Lydia worried her bottom lip with her teeth and nodded.

“Are you ready to go see Ms. Platt or do you want us all to stay here for another minute?” Kara offered. In response, Lydia lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Kara’s shoulders. Lena quickly joined the hug.

“Ready,” Lydia said after a few minutes. Lena and Kara gave her one more squeeze before standing, each taking one of her hands and heading over to where Ms. Platt was waiting with a gaggle of other kindergarteners, a mix of excited kids chattering and chasing each other around and nervous, shy little things who hovered close to their teacher.

“Good morning, Lydia! Are you excited for the first day of school?” the young teacher greeted brightly. Lydia nodded mutely, but she gave the teacher a small smile. “I’m so glad! We are going to do so many awesome things today. Have you said goodbye to your moms yet?” Lydia’s grip on her mothers’ hands tightened. 

“Not yet,” she said, her voice wavering.

“Well, whenever you’re ready, I can introduce you to some new friends to talk to until it’s time to go inside. How does that sound? You let me know when you’re ready.” Lena smiled gratefully at the teacher who stepped back to chat with some of the shyer kids.

“Ready, baby girl?” Lena asked, swinging Lydia’s hand.

“‘M not a baby,” Lydia whined immediately. “I’m a  _ big kid _ . I’m going to kindergarten.”

“Silly me! I must have forgotten,” Lena said, free hand going to her cheek in the perfect picture of shock and confusion. Lydia giggled.

“You’re going to have so much fun, munchkin. And maybe we can get a special treat after since you’re trying so hard to be brave for us,” Kara promised.

“But what if I’m not brave when you leave?” Lydia asked nervously, staring at her shoes.

“As long as you do your best, listen to teachers, and be nice to new friends, we’ll be happy with you, okay? It’s okay to be sad and miss us, but we want you to try and have a good time,” Kara said, kneeling down to put her hands on Lydia’s shoulders. Lydia threw her arms around her Mama, hugging her tight. When she pulled away, Kara kissed her forehead and smiled. Lydia turned to Lena, who had bent over, and gave her a big hug. Lena scooped Lena up, peppering her face with kisses as Lydia squealed in delight. 

“Mommy! Mommy, I gotta go to school!” Lydia giggled, squirming and shifting away from Lena. Lena heaved a fake sigh of despair before putting Lydia back down on the ground. “Bye Mommy. Bye Mama. I’ll see you soon!” Lydia had quickly regained her confidence, beaming and waving as she skipped over to Ms. Platt. Lena and Kara watched for a moment as Ms. Platt introduced Lydia to some of the shyer kids. When Lena intertwined her fingers with Kara, they began to walk back to the car. The entire time, both women were fighting tears.

“Well, I guess summer is over,” Lena chuckled with a sniffle. Kara nodded her agreement. She was due to head over to Sunny Start for her shift in a while—Kara had agreed to come in three days a week, leaving the other two days and the entire weekend for Supergirl and family duties, though Kara predicted she would start looking for other jobs that provided her with more flexibility.

“Summer is over,” Kara agreed sadly. It wasn’t until they had come to a stop outside L-Corp where Kara was dropping Lena off that both women let the tears fall as it finally hit them: summer was over and their baby girl was one step closer to growing up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's anything specific you want to see happen in the wedding fic, let me know! Also, it's only week 2 of school and assignments are already overwhelming me so please don't hold your breath waiting for any updates on any of my works lol I'm so sorry guys.


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